Second Chance

On the Road to a Better Life

The Second Chance Program at the Oregon Humane Society was established in 1997 in an effort to help shelters in Oregon and Southern Washington – which may have less space, fewer resources and fewer visitors to their shelter –place highly adoptable animals in to homes. OHS received approximately 131,000 visitors to our shelter last year and over 11,500 animals were adopted. More than 6,000 of those animals came from shelters in our Second Chance Program. The program has grown over the years and now works with over 90 shelters and rescue groups all with the same goal in mind – to save lives! The program has created a win/win situation for the transfer partner shelters by allowing them to place animals that otherwise would have been euthanized. The Second Chance program enables OHS to serve a larger community of animals and people.

Resources for Other Shelters

Second Chance FAQ

Where did my Second Chance pet come from?

Each animal that comes in through our Second Chance Program will have their original shelter listed on their animal profile. You can look at the Transfer Agency map below to see where that shelter is located.

What does it mean to adopt a Second Chance pet?

The dogs and cats coming in through our Second Chance Program are from shelters with a high volume of animals and limited space to house them. These shelters take in stray animals and owner relinquished pets. Very few of these animals come in with a history of being in a home, so things such as house/litterbox training and interactions with children and other animals is unknown. A lot of these animals come from more rural environments, whereas Portland is a big animal loving city! It can be a very different environment for them. To continue the success of Second Chance animal adoptions, we will continue to provide adopters with the education and tools needed to get your new best friend settled in their new life!

I am going to Hawaii and heard about your transport program. How can I help?

Thank you for your interest in helping Hawaii dogs! If you have a vacation planned to Hawaii and would like bring a dog back with you, please contact the shelter in Hawaii directly. The shelter staff in Hawaii schedules the flights, prepares paperwork and picks the animals eligible to fly to OHS.

Maui Humane Society is now flying pets on Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines Cargo and not on passenger tickets. If you would like to bring back a pet with you, please contact: